Montgomery c



(No Model.)

M. O. MEIGS.

URAYON OR PENCIL HOLDER.

Patented Feb. 16, 1886.

II lllm STATES PATENT Fries.

CRAYON ,OR PENCIL HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 336,250, dated February16, 1886.

Application filed December 30, 1885. Serial No. 187,107. (No model.)

ington, in the District of Colunibia,have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Crayon and Pencil Holders; and I do herebydeclare the following to be al'ull, clear, and.

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it ap-.

pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of pencil and crayon holders commonlyknown as machine or propeller or automatic pencils, in which a tube tocontain a movable crayon or marking-piece is split at its end to formclamping-jaws, which, when compressed upon the crayon or marking-piecewithin a movable sheath or ring, hold the marking-piece in place forwriting or marking. Inall such pencils to me known the clamping-jaws (ofwhich there are two, three, or four) terminate in a plane at rightangles to the axis of the marking-piece, which causes them, whencompressed, to cut or crack the markingpiece, so that when pressure isapplied upon the pointthereof itis liable to break off, as it frequentlydoes, resultingin great inconvenience and annoyance to the'user, and ingreat waste of the marking material. In my own experience such a pencilas the red or blue Faber machine pencil has been laid aside as uselesson this account.

The object of my invention therefore is to overcome these difficultiesand otherwise to improve this kind of pencil; and to these ends itconsists, broadly stated, in forming the clamping-jaws of differentlengths, so that the nipping or holding ends thereofshall bear up on themarking-piece at points in different planes and not opposite each other.By this arrangement the jaws will not nip or cut the markingpiece.

A minor feature of my improvement is the provision,within the crayon orpencil contain or, of a shoulder or rest for the end of the crayon orpencil, and a hole through which a rod or a pencil may be insertedtopush or feed the crayon or pencil forward in the event of its stickingfast.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my improvements, in whichlikeletters of reference designate corresponding parts, Figure 1illustrates in elevation and partial section a crayon-holder embodyingmy improvements, the said figure showing but one mode of constructingthe clamping-jaws. Fig. 2 illustrates substantially the ordinaryconstruction of clampingjawsthatis,with their ends terminatingin asingleplane at rightangles to the axis ofthe marking-piece. Fig. 3 illustratesa modification of the construction of the clamping-jaws; and Figs. 4, 5,and 6 illustrate on an enlarged scale other modifications of myimprovement as it may be applied in the ordinary machine pencil now incommon use for lead or colored crayons; and Fig. 7 illustrates myin1-provement as embodied in a holder having two clampingjaws.

The letter a designates the tubular portion or body of the holder, orthat portion which contains the pencil or crayon; and bis the splitclamping end thereof. This clamping end is composed of elasticjaws bforexample, two three, or four in number-madc of dilferent lengths.

c designates a sheath or ring,whieh may be fixed or screw-threaded uponthe pencil-container, or it may be smooth and held thereon by frictionalone. This sheath is constructed so that when it is properly moved uponthe clamping -jaws or split tube, or conversely whenthe clampingjaws orsplit tubeare moved longitudinally through it, the said jaws are pressedtoward each other against the crayon or pencil d, and secure the samefirmly in the end thereof.

It will readily be understood that when the jaws made of differentlengths are thus pressed against the pencil or crayon, the differentfingers or jaws will bear upon the crayon or pencil at pointslyingindifferent planes and not opposite to each other, thus preventing thetendency of said clamping-jaws from cutting the marking-piece in thecircumferential line hereinbefore referred to, as by the ordinaryconstruction.

I11 Fig. 1 I have illustrated the clamping end finished in two planesoblique to the axis of the marking material, and preferably in planeswhich will be parallel with the surface to be written upon when thepencil is held in writing or marking.

In Fig. 2, which, as before stated, illustrates,

substantially, the usual manner of finishing the clamping-jaws, I haveindicated by broken lines the extent to which a crayon or pencil may beworn down by use before it becomes necessary to farther advance themarking material for a fresh supply. It is obvious that with an equalextension beyond the end of a clampingjaw the crayon illustrated in Fig.1 may be used for a longer time without renewed feeding than that of theordinary construction illustrated in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 3, illustrating another modification of my invention, eachindividual clamping-jaw is beveled at its end like a saw-tooth, but allof said jaws being of different lengths.

Fig. 4 illustrates each finger finished square, but all of differentlengths.

In Fig. 5 each end is finished with an angular or V-shaped point, thesides of which points are at an angle to the sides of the clampingjawand all of different lengths.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated more than one form of jaw in the samepencil.

In Fig. 7 but two jaws are illustrated, each of which has its end cutoffin lines in different planes.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated in section that end of the holder which isprovided with an internal shoulder or abutment, as indicated at c. Thisshoulder will prevent the crayon or pencil from accidentally falling outat that end.

' A hole or opening, f, of smaller diameter than different lengths, sothat no two of them will bear upon the marking-piece in a single planeat right angles to the axis thereof, nor at points opposite to eachother, whereby they will not act to cut or break the material. It willbe understood, therefore, that I do not limit myself to any peculiarconstruction of the individual clamping-jaw.

An important advantage resulting from my improvement over the oldconstruction is that the longer or longestjaw will afford a bettersupport for the marking-piece when writing, and the said markingpiecemay be worn down to a greater extent than heretofore possible withoutrenewed feeding.

It is immaterial whether the jaws made in accordance with my inventiondo or do not extend beyond the compression sheath or ring, as theirefficiency in preventing the cutting or cracking of the marking materialwill be the same in both cases.

What I claim as my inventi n, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described improved crayon or pencil holder, consisting ofa tubular crayon or pencil receiving portion having one end providedwith elastic clamping-jaws of different lengths. a compressing sheath orring for said jaws, and the other end of the holderprovided with aninterior shoulderand opening, substantially as described.

2. In a pencil-holder, the tubular crayon or pencil container providedat one end with elastic clamping-jaws of different lengths, and a sheathfor compressing said clamping-jaws, substantially as described. v s

3. In a pencil-holder, the tubular pencil or crayon container providedwith clampingjaws at one end, and an internal shoulder and an opening atits other end, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MONTGOMERY G. M EIGS.

WVitnesses:

J. V-WURDEMANN, GEO. M. FINoKEL.

